As the supply of conventional oil dwindles, heavy oil and bitumen are expected to become an increasingly important source of fuel. Heavy oil and bitumen are typically produced using thermal recovery methods that rely on the injection of fluids such as steam and hot water. Steam or hot water is injected into a reservoir creating a steam chamber in the formation. The steam chamber will transfer its heat to the reservoir including any reservoir fluid (for example, heavy oil and bitumen). As the temperature of the reservoir fluid rises, the viscosity of the reservoir fluid decreases, allowing the heated reservoir fluid to flow and be extracted from the reservoir. As the heating of the reservoir fluid relies heavily on the effectiveness of the steam chamber, monitoring the movement of the injected fluid through the reservoir during thermal operations is useful for managing and maximizing heavy oil production in reservoirs.
Several techniques including, electromagnetics (EM) and electric resistance tomography (ERT), have been used to image the presence and location of rock, oil, water and other phases within the reservoirs. ERT is used to image various phases in heavy oil reservoirs. The ERT technique involves measuring a subsurface distribution of electrical conductivity by taking resistance measurements from electrodes placed in a geometric pattern. These electrodes may be placed on the surface and/or sub-surface of a reservoir. However, the images produced with ERT techniques are subject to measurement error and noise due to the reservoir environment and electrical contact resistance between the electrodes, the reservoir and the injected liquid.